1. Technical Field of the Invention
Illustrative, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a bin washing device, particularly, for washing bins used to convey plant products, such as fruit.
2. Background of Related Art
During fruit packing and processing operations, the fruit is typically stored or transported in bins, which are typically about 48″×48″×30″ deep and which after use for storing or transporting the fruit, must be washed in order to remove plant residue, mold, decayed material, dirt, leaves, twigs and the like. The washing process must be efficient and involve a minimum of human activity. Accordingly, bin washer devices have been incorporated into conveyor systems to facilitate automatic washing of the bins. In one conventional bin washer device, a bin is conveyed open side up to a washing station where it is rotated until its interior surfaces face down. The bin is then lifted to provide access to the internal surfaces. The bin interior is sprayed from below by a lower spray. Typically, a single overhead spray is positioned to spray water and sanitizer onto the outer surfaces of the bins. Thereafter, the bin is dropped back onto the conveyor or into a bin collecting area such as a bin stacker. With such an arrangement, only a single bin can be washed by a washing station at one time. That is, one bin must be completely washed before the next bin can begin to be washed.
In these bin washing devices, the time required to wash a single bin must be less than the time it takes a packinghouse to dump fruit from a single bin. For example, if a packinghouse is dumping fruit at 30 seconds per bin, conventional bin washers have less than 30 seconds to wash a bin. Furthermore, the time required to lift the bin is not part of the wash time, resulting in a relatively short wash time per bin.
Oftentimes with the conventional bin washers, pathogens are not effectively killed because the sanitizers cannot be applied to the bins for a sufficient amount of time. Furthermore, some of the bins have pocketed cleats and/or bin runners on a bottom surface of the bin. Dirt or mud and the like that becomes lodged in these cleats or runners is difficult to remove and the conventional bin washers do not effectively remove foreign material from these areas. Additionally, dried or decayed fruit on the internal and external surfaces of the bin can be difficult to remove and are not effectively removed with a short wash time or a single overhead spray.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved bin washer that can effectively remove dirt, plant residue, mold, decayed material, or dried fruit from all surfaces, both interior and exterior, of the bins and effectively kill pathogens, while performing such functions without slowing down the plant product dumping process.